Daily Archives: June 30, 2009

We read it about the problem all the time. So many kids becoming overweight because they spend so many hours playing video games and don’t get enough exercize or eat the right foods.

So what if somebody invented a way that these children – especially young teens – could still entertain themselves and hang out together playing their X-boxes, PlayStations and Game Boys, but get enough exercize at the same time?

Well, now it’s happened, and the unique idea has actually been invented and is being developed right here in little ol’ Rockwall!

It’s called the “Train Up” teens and kids fitness center, and it’s the brainchild of Rockwall pediatrician and former U.S. Men’s Olympic team gymnast Kurt Pflieger, M.D.

Since opening his private practice at Rockwall Pediatrics a few years ago, Dr. Pflieger said he has become more and more concerned about the ever-increasing number of overweight children he’s been seeing.

Since he said he noticed that so few get enough exercise, yet so many love spending hours and hours playing video games, he conceived the unique idea to install these video games into fitness equipment to help them slim down, get healthier and improve their self-esteem.

He calls his new concept “exergaming.”

Last year, after investing loads of time and quite a bit of money into his unique idea, his state-of-the-art exergaming, entertainment, strength and cardio facility became reality when he and his family opened Train Up just down the hill from Rockwall High School, at Yellow Jacket and Goliad. You’ve seen the sign.

Growth was slow at first, he said. His initial research suggested high school age teens were the primary market to utilize his unusual new equipment. As it’s turned out, younger teens of middle school age have become the majority of Train Up’s members. Parents, who say they just wanna’ have fun, too, while getting in shape, are also trying to get in.